Russia calls for entire Japanese nation to move to Russia

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the colorful and flamboyant leader of Russia's LDPR party, has called on Japanese to leave "the dangerous islands" and move to the unpopulated Russian territories, the newsru.com website reported on Sunday.

Zhirinovsky, 64, also deputy speaker of the lower house, offered Russian government to start talks with Japan over Japanese nationals' migration to Russia.

"In this case we do not share any islands, we offer the way to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe," newsru.com quoted Zhirinovsky as saying. "Russia will even benefit if such hardworking people join us," he added.

The politician said he was serious since "the Japanese nation is under the threat of extinction in the near future."

Zhirinovsky's statement came in the wake of a 9.0 - magnitude tremor, which struck the Japan's northeast on Friday. The quake triggered a 10-meter tsunami wave that swept away people, houses and cars.

In late February Zhirinovsky invited Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to move to Moscow.

In his address to Gaddafi, he said: "I invite you to make Moscow your place of permanent residence."